Clouser Questions & Pics

[skiptomylu]

I don't know where you guys live, but just FYI, in March about the 2nd week there is a fly tying show in Mt. Home Arkansas called the Sow Bug Roundup. There are fly tiers from across the nation and a few from over seas there demonstrating their craft. These guys and gals are expert fly tiers and willingly share their knowledge with all who come by their station. I myself have tied there since its conception 10 years ago.

As far as a clean look on your fly, you might try taking a wrap or two behind the eyes, this will pull down the belly and make the other materials flow into each other in the water. In the water is where looks count. Flies will look quite differently when wet. In order to keep the deer hair from flairing, you have to use what is called a pinch wrap tecnique. You pinch the fibers of the deer hair tightly between your thumb and index finger and do not turn loose until you have securely bound the deer hair down with several semi-tight wraps. Then you can begin to pull the thread a little tighter until you make a nice streamlined head, then whip finish and coat with either epoxy or a drop of clear fingernail polish. Don't use too much sealer or too big dumbell eyes because the fly will be difficult to cast with a 6 wgt. fly rod.

This fly will work great in either fresh or salt water. When tied in pearl and white it is killer for white bass, it looks like a small shad when stripped through the water.

You can find more information on the Sow Bug Celebration of Fly Fishing at North Arkansas Fly Fishers website. Tight lines.

Nice tips Thank You! I don't even own a fly rod yet, but intend on getting one soon. I had one and loved fly fishing as a kid.

Actually these I plan on using in a tandem rig set up trolling as the top bait and a jig below. I feel tying it on as a drop shot style or even with a 3 way swivel for crappie may be a good plan.

As for the dumbbell eyes (hourglass) I don't even have any larger than medium size, but these are not actually intended to be used fly fishing at this point.

The pinch wrap technique is something I am working on still and making a couple or wraps in back of the eyes, I will have to try that, but at first thought it seems that is may bring it too much together. I will give it a try though and I am sure it will need to be loose wraps.

Thanks,

Skip

[Species]

Hey fishn n wishn.............

Watch your subliminal messages That is uncalled for and I cannot let it go unnoticed!
Check your PM I just sent you. Don't ever do that again! Do not refer to Skip as a "White Crappie" or to me as a "Black Crappie" That is defamation of character and I will not accept that kind of abuse. Please understand, that if you ever do that again I will take legal action against you.

old ship

Ship, all due respect, he didn't refer to you as a "Black Crappie". You are the one that brought race into this. Also, threatening people to take legal action on these forums aren't going to make you a very popular person 'round here.

As a friend and fellow fisherman, we are all here to have fun and shoot the breeze!

[shipahoy41]

Ding Ding in red corner we have White crappie.....In blue corner we have Black crappie.Ladies & Gentlemen lets get ready to ffiiissshhhh.Now lets all have a group hug and lets all just get alone.

With all due respect Species, the intent of fish N Wishn 's quote above, he said was a "Joke" He has since later apologized in a PM to me and publically in the forum. I forgave him and life moves on.

I agree, we as fishermen do like to "Shoot the breeze." I do too. There are just certain boundaries you DO NOT cross. I was offended by his comments, as I am sure others were too. I just let him know it was not called for and inappropriate. A man who will not stand up for the things he believes in will fall for anything.

Now, if I have offended anyone on this forum, I publically and personally apologize. There was only one "joke" I placed on this forum and it was a political joke. If anyone would care to research my topic or my posts you will find 99.9% of them to be informative and helpful to others based on my 62 years of experience. I believe that qualifies me to express my opinions in a respectful way like I did.

I intend to follow that philosophy in all my posts. Now, let's go and catch some Crappies!:D

old ship

[Prybis]

Skip,

They all look good. But i can give a little advice for what you are wanting to achieve. For being to close or over lapping the eye is cause by a few things. First is how much material you are using. The term less is more is also great for tying as is for fishing. Try using a little less bucktail and see how that works. The second thing would be how you actually tie on the material. I like to tie on with bucktail at about 45 degree angle to the hook and also to the side and a little below and long. Use a couple of loose gathering wraps to pull it to the hook then one tighter wrap. After this pull the buchtail into place where you like it and secure. You can also tie it a little father back, secure and trim to length (This is harder when using smaller hooks like size 8 to 12).

As far as the bottom part flaring out there are a few things I like to do. First I like to secure behind the eyes. You dont need these wraps to be to tight. Wrapping real tight here where always make it flare. After securing behind the eyes wrap towards the hook. You dont need wraps to be real close to each other also. On larger hooks I like spacing these wraps to basically form 3 or 4 xxxx when you wrap back foward. Then when you are near the hook you can secure the material. I like to make the bucktail rotate around the hook shank some then secure it but not tight enoungh to make it flare.

I hope you understand exactley what I am trying to say. I realy love to fish clousers with my UL spinning rod. Size 6 and smaller or great for the gills and all. Size 4 through 4AA are great for bass and crappie. You can fish these just like fly fishing a put a safty pin spinner on for a little more flash. Other good flies to use on a UL spinning rod the Wooly Buggers and copper Johns.

Mike P.

[skiptomylu]

Skip,

They all look good. But i can give a little advice for what you are wanting to achieve. For being to close or over lapping the eye is cause by a few things. First is how much material you are using. The term less is more is also great for tying as is for fishing. Try using a little less bucktail and see how that works. The second thing would be how you actually tie on the material. I like to tie on with bucktail at about 45 degree angle to the hook and also to the side and a little below and long. Use a couple of loose gathering wraps to pull it to the hook then one tighter wrap. After this pull the buchtail into place where you like it and secure. You can also tie it a little father back, secure and trim to length (This is harder when using smaller hooks like size 8 to 12).

As far as the bottom part flaring out there are a few things I like to do. First I like to secure behind the eyes. You dont need these wraps to be to tight. Wrapping real tight here where always make it flare. After securing behind the eyes wrap towards the hook. You dont need wraps to be real close to each other also. On larger hooks I like spacing these wraps to basically form 3 or 4 xxxx when you wrap back foward. Then when you are near the hook you can secure the material. I like to make the bucktail rotate around the hook shank some then secure it but not tight enoungh to make it flare.

I hope you understand exactley what I am trying to say. I realy love to fish clousers with my UL spinning rod. Size 6 and smaller or great for the gills and all. Size 4 through 4AA are great for bass and crappie. You can fish these just like fly fishing a put a safty pin spinner on for a little more flash. Other good flies to use on a UL spinning rod the Wooly Buggers and copper Johns.

Mike P.

Thank You for the info! I too tie the hair on at a pretty good angle, but maybe it is the amount of hair I am using. I usually can over come the flair by just keep wrapping until it's covered and then it looks fine. I just notice on Bob Clouser's video he doesn't have any problem with the hair flaring.

Also I have a few tied as a Deep Minnow Clone using a Popper hook and that hook doesn't have as much room between the bend (where the eyes go) and the eye, but I also have noticed how sparse the material ins on that pattern using that hook so that is probably part of it. I also use a couple of loose gathering wraps, but I still seem to have trouble with it flaring. I am sure I will over come this and usually It doesn't matter as I can cover the flair anyway.

If you have not seen that pattern using the popper hooks here is a link...
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...30606fotw.html

I think all 6 I have tied so far will catch fish, but I am a stickler for what ever I am tying to look as good as possible. I am making a turning wheel for the epoxy too and have every thing except the wheel it self and the clips.

Again thenks,

Skip

[sd_west]

Skip,
I tie my Clousers for fly fishing but i dont use deer or bucktail for most of them. Polar Fibre has been my best material plus its easier to work with and thread control is much easier. The polar fibre moves more also in the water. Also look into the Clouser darter which is a smaller compact type of clouser which uses kiptail and flashabou in most patters. Bass pro actually has these on their web page and stores. I find more ideas on my flies and such by just looking through the flies at the stores and examining the materials and way its put together.
Deer hair flares easy but a neat trick is to do your first few wraps loose and then come back with tighter wraps. Saw this tip from Dave Whitlocks videos.

good luck on the tying

[shipahoy41]

Skip,
I tie my Clousers for fly fishing but i dont use deer or bucktail for most of them. Polar Fibre has been my best material plus its easier to work with and thread control is much easier. The polar fibre moves more also in the water. Also look into the Clouser darter which is a smaller compact type of clouser which uses kiptail and flashabou in most patters. Bass pro actually has these on their web page and stores. I find more ideas on my flies and such by just looking through the flies at the stores and examining the materials and way its put together.
Deer hair flares easy but a neat trick is to do your first few wraps loose and then come back with tighter wraps. Saw this tip from Dave Whitlocks videos.

good luck on the tying

I sent you a PM.

Thanks

Old Ship

[smoothlures]

Ok, let's see. Instead of tying the white (belly) back down the shank, just place a few loose (tighter if you want the white flared) wraps around it, say 3 or 4 turns. When you do this, tie it down how you normally would in front of the eyes then grab the hair and hold it tight with your non bobbin hand and then hold the hair up and past the eyes, then wrap a time or two straight down right behind the eyes while pulling up on the hair and slowly let it go down onto the shank. That'll keep the belly looking nice. Then turn it over and tie in however many strands of Krystal Flash you want. I use 6 for a #4 hook. Then for the top, I use about 1.5 times as much hair as I do for the belly. You may be using too much hair for the size hook you're doing if you're having hair sticking out. You should need to build up a nice cone shape for the head of the fly when you get done. Try to keep the tail (the hair past the bend of the hook) about 1.5-2 times as long as the hook is. That's about all the tips I can give you except to make sure you tie in the eyes very tightly. If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask. Here's one of mine so you can see what I'm talking about. Fl. green over white on a #4 Daiichi salt water hook.

[skiptomylu]

smoothlures
Yours looks great!
This was my latest effort from two days back, but I have not finished the head yet and don't know If I will epoxy or use something else as I do sometimes.

I think this one looks something like yours with a little different thread color and I used bead chain in chartreuse. it's hard to tell in the pice that the eyes look chartreuse, but they do.

[shipahoy41]

Hey Skip,

Those Crazy Chartreuse eyes on it are awesome man. That is another good looking Clouser.

Ship